PADI Certification too quick?

[Scuba Hunk]

I took my OWD in 2 days and Learnt everything so why go on for 3 weeks? In the end of the day its not that difficult to blow bubbles! I am making my 10 dive this weekend and I feel that I know everything I need to know!

 

[MikeFerrara]

I took my OWD in 2 days and Learnt everything so why go on for 3 weeks? In the end of the day its not that difficult to blow bubbles! I am making my 10 dive this weekend and I feel that I know everything I need to know!

It isn't that hard to blow bubbles and thats about what you learn in a 2 day class. At 10 dives you don't even know what there is to know yet.

Your post may be the perfect example of what it is I don't like about these kinds of classes.

A class should not only teach you what you need to know at that level and develop proficiency in it but it should also give you a realistic picture of where you are.

You've only just scratched the surface. You're in about the highest risk group of divers that there is...ie little training, little experience and maybe underdeveloped skills. All of which are right at the top of the DAN accident report. Combine that with the attitude that you "know" everything you need to know and it's not a good situation. I briefly review the DAN accident report with my students to make certain that they understand this. I guess there wasn't time for such things in your 2 day class.

If you realize that you don't know anything and go out and carefully try to learn you might do ok.

 

[Scuba_Steve]

It isn't that hard to blow bubbles and thats about what you learn in a 2 day class. At 10 dives you don't even know what there is to know yet.

Your post may be the perfect example of what it is I don't like about these kinds of classes.

A class should not only teach you what you need to know at that level and develop proficiency in it but it should also give you a realistic picture of where you are.

You've only just scratched the surface. You're in about the highest risk group of divers that there is...ie little training, little experience and maybe underdeveloped skills. All of which are right at the top of the DAN accident report. Combine that with the attitude that you "know" everything you need to know and it's not a good situation. I briefly review the DAN accident report with my students to make certain that they understand this. I guess there wasn't time for such things in your 2 day class.

If you realize that you don't know anything and go out and carefully try to learn you might do ok.

You got it in before me, Mike.

You don't know what you don't know, and if this guy makes it to dive 100-150 he should be OK. Although this doesn't neccessarily mean he'll be a better diver, but the odds will be shifting in his favour all along.

I freely admit at dive 100, looking back (Not too far back either) that I really didn't have all the "basics" down. Sure, I had done many cold, solo, 100ft+ dives ;-) but if it wasn't for good gear and a bit of luck, I could have been in huge trouble, and I didn't even fully realize it.

It took a slap in the head via a good instructor to help me un*u*k myself. Oddly enough, he didn't really have to say much most of the time, he just let me screw up so badly that I came to the realization quite naturally, and then we talked about it.

I must say Mike, as you know, I still have that "I'm going to be a good PADI Instructor someday" thinking. I hope I don't get so jaded that I pack it in too.

Steve

 

[cindye]

After you go with her this weekend, don't be to judgemental, remember she wanted to do this to be with you in the underwater world. If you are not comfortable with her being your buddy, I suggest that you take the AOW together. You probably don't need it, but it will give you guys more time to work together before you are faced with a huge problem on a trip. Just a suggestion.

 

[Scuba_Steve]

The problem is, from my viewpoint, AOW is better than nothing, but it STILL doesn't make you much better. You can't learn what you haven't been exposed to.

Not to hurt the feelings of any PADI Pro, but I was recently told, by a PADI "Pro" (Rank withheld purposely) no less, that the "Hover" couldn't be taught in the "Horizontal" position, and that it was just too hard to do.....................Uhggggggg. I SWEAR I can't do it in the "lotus" position, but the "Horizontal" is just too easy. This guy was dead serious when speaking.

WTF?

Are some of these guys so PADI-ized that they truly don't know how to dive at all? I'd love to watch them dive from a distance just to see........

As to the 84 quarry dives to Instructor scenario, I agree fully with Boogie. I don't care how many 30ft low vis Nav dives you have, you ain't qualified, IMHO, to teach much of anything BUT Basic OW.

Respectfully

Steve

 

[Scuba Hunk]

All my dives after the course have been to 30 meter or more! my deepest is to 60 meters we did have a minor problem towards the end of the last Deco Stop on 3 meters. My buddy was a bit short of Air and had to surface when my Octopus took in water! He was 2 minutes short on the stop but OK after when we checked for DCI symptoms!
We are following our computers so I don't see why its so dangerous like some of you wants to make it? I use a Aladin Pro and it tells me when to stop and how long for!

 

[FreeFloat]

Oh wonderful, strap on the computer and shut off the brain. Let me know when/where you're diving next so I can avoid the area. I very seldom say that as most who've dived with/around me know I'm very tolerant of just about everyone.........

HOWEVER

You seem to be exhibiting classic Darwin symptoms - you know everything already, and your computer tells you how to dive. Never mind that it's a machine while you're flesh-and-blood, if it thinks it's fine there's just no way your body could get the bends, right? Keep in mind, your computer doesn't ongas Nitrogen while diving..... it's just pretending to understand the process through its programming.

So, during your OW "class", how many times did you practice each skill? If someone were diving around you and kicked off your mask then swam off, oblivious, would you be able to deal with it? What if YOU were breathing off your buddy's octo and it started breathing "wet"? What if you lost track of where the anchor line back to the boat was, and your computer was getting into the red? What if you started to get swept away by current....... or your buddy did?

I hope you continue to learn while diving........ there are divers on this board with 1000s of dives who do not take the attitude that they know "everything they need to know" about diving.

Dive safe, dive often.

 

[Scuba_Steve]

That 100 dives is looking more perilous everyday

Stick around long enough to learn what you don't yet realize. I was fortunate enough to meet some great divers to learn from, and I'm learning still for sure. I hope you can do the same.

Dive safe bud.

He's kidding, right? Troll? 10 dives, 60 meters............

 

[FreeFloat]

All my dives after the course have been to 30 meter or more! my deepest is to 60 meters we did have a minor problem towards the end of the last Deco Stop on 3 meters. My buddy was a bit short of Air and had to surface when my Octopus took in water! He was 2 minutes short on the stop but OK after when we checked for DCI symptoms!
We are following our computers so I don't see why its so dangerous like some of you wants to make it? I use a Aladin Pro and it tells me when to stop and how long for!

BTW as just an OW cert you have no business at 30m (95') and especially not at 60m, (195') nor doing "deco" stops.

Darwin rules.

 

[Scuba Hunk]

I said in a different thread that my location limits me to dive in this quarry and it is easy to get deeper than planned! I think some of your replies are very rude!
It doesn't say anything regarding depth limitation on my paper work and if it was that bad why isn't there a warning text or something!
We are having fantastic fun so I don't see the problem! We can stay longer on our dives and we both have a computer and if one packs in we have a spare!